Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy
We understand that your health is specific to you, so we make sure that our weight loss surgeries fit your personal weight loss plan in an efficient and compassionate manner. Procedures like vertical sleeve gastrectomy help you take the first step toward personal health and happiness.
The new and smaller stomach pouch limits the amount of food you can consume, helping you feel full faster and for a longer period of time.
The weight loss generated by surgery has a high positive impact on various medical conditions associated with obesity such as:
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Infertility
- Heart disease
Restrictive bariatric surgeries are also likely to improve obesity-related medical conditions such as:
- Congestive heart failure (CHF)
- High cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia)
- High triglycerides (hypertriglyceridemia)
- Urinary incontinence
- Menstrual irregularity
- Back pain
Instead of making a large incision in your abdomen, the VSG procedure is performed using minimally invasive techniques. This means your surgeon will use three keyhole-sized incisions to insert small fiber-optic laparoscopes (surgery tools) into your abdomen to perform the surgery.
Before your weight loss procedure, your doctor will provide you with educational material regarding the surgery. The operation begins with general anesthesia and an IV to ensure comfort and safety.
During the operation, a tube called a “bougie” is inserted through your mouth and into your stomach. Your surgeon uses the bougie as a guide to determine the optimal size of your new stomach pouch. A stomach clamp is then placed along the bougie tube.
Once the stomach clamp is in place, your surgeon uses the laparoscopes to securely staple and seal the stomach along the clamp. The remaining portion of your stomach pouch is then removed.
After the operation, you can typically eat only up to a single cup of food without discomfort or nausea.
- Patients feel less hungry, and they feel full after eating less food.
- The need for blood pressure or diabetes medications may be reduced.
- Patients lose 50-70% of their excess weight, on average, in the first 12-18 months.
- Patients report less “dumping” syndrome (food moving too quickly from the stomach to the bowels) with the sleeve, compared to gastric bypass.
- The risks of surgery may include, but are not limited to: bleeding, staple-line leak, infection, blood clots, pneumonia, need for additional surgery, or death.
- Some patients report increased heartburn, which may require medication or additional surgery.
Doctors Specializing in Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy
At Providence, you'll have access to a vast network of dedicated and compassionate providers who offer personalized care by focusing on treatment, prevention and health education.
